The Methos and Sekhmet Chronicles: The Proposal
by VoiceOfTime
Summary: Third in a series, following TM&S: The Messenger.  Sekhmet goes looking for Amanda and Methos looks for a ring.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I'm just taking them out to play for a little while.

Ch. 1:

Duncan sat in the Dojo, working on the books when he felt another approaching. He looked up to see Methos walk into the office, grab a bottle and cup, and throw himself into the chair, pouring himself a drink.

"Please, help yourself." Duncan told him sarcastically.

"Thanks." Methos replied, taking a sip and leaning back.

"Where's Sekhmet?" Duncan asked. "I don't think I've seen you two out of each other's presence for the last week."

"She's in Europe, tracking down Amanda." Methos said. "She lands tonight, so I figure we have until tomorrow to start watching for social collapse."

"Amanda and Sekhmet." Duncan said. "I think I'm going to need some of that."

Methos got up and grabbed a glass before pouring a drink for the Highlander.

"How do they even know each other?" Duncan asked.

"Apparently Sekhmet knew Rebecca and met Amanda when she was Rebecca's student." Methos said.

"So, if Sekhmet's in Europe, why are you here?" Duncan asked.

"I need your help." Methos told him.

He was quiet and Duncan watched him.

"With anything in particular, or just in general?" he finally asked the older Immortal.

"I want to propose to Sekhmet." Methos said finally.

"Shouldn't you've done that before she went off looking for her maid of honor?" Duncan asked. "Besides, I thought that necklace she wears was your version of an engagement ring, so wouldn't that mean you already proposed?"

"Yeah, 5,000 years ago." Methos said. "But this is the 90's. There's different expectation for engagements now. I want her to have the ring and the party and the wedding and everything."

"Who are you, and what have you done with Methos?" Duncan asked, smiling.

"What do you mean?" Methos demanded.

"Well, I distinctly remember you saying that you could never make the commitment of marrying one of our kind, and now you're sitting in my office asking for my help to do just that." Duncan said, laughing.

"Okay, I'm leaving." Methos said, standing up.

"No, I'm sorry." Duncan told him. "I'll help. What do you need?"

Methos sat back down and sighed.

"I haven't bought an engagement ring in this century." Methos said.

"So, you want my help picking one out?" Duncan asked.

"If you don't mind." Methos said.

"When does Sekhmet get back?" Duncan asked.

"Depends on when she finds Amanda." Methos replied. "She was tracking some thefts in the South of France she thought might be Amanda, so she's starting there."

"Thefts?" Duncan sighed.

"Hey, don't look at me." Methos said. "I just know what Sekhmet told me."

Duncan sighed.

"So, when do you want to go look at rings?" he asked.

"When do you have time?" Methos asked.

Duncan sighed and stood up.

"Come on." He said, grabbing his coat.

* * *

Amanda sat on the beach, soaking in the bright sunlight. She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling warmer than she had in months. After a moment, she stiffened as she felt another Immortal approached and sighed. She sat up and looked around and saw a familiar woman dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a black bikini top, with a back ankh around her neck. She had tan skin and long black hair and Amanda grinned when she saw the men on the beach follow the woman with their eyes. Even the ones there with other women.

"Amanda!" Sekhmet called, smiling.

"Gwen!" Amanda replied, waving and standing up.

The other woman reached her and gave her a tight hug.

"What are you doing here?" Amanda asked as they sat down.

"Looking for you, actually." Sekhmet said. "But before we go into that, I need to know how much Rebecca told you about me."

"Not much." Amanda admitted. "I know you're a lot older than you claim and that your name isn't really Gwendolyn. Beyond that, Rebecca was very discreet."

"Well, first things first, my name is really Sekhmet." The other woman told her.

"Sekhmet?" Amanda asked skeptically.

"Yes." Sekhmet replied. "I was born 5,000 years ago in Egypt."

"Well, in that case, I've got a friend you should meet." Amanda told her. "He's around your age. His name's Methos."

"Funny you should mention Methos." Sekhmet said, smiling. "We're getting married."

"WHAT?" Amanda screeched.

"Shh!" Sekhmet told her, laughing. "Calm down. Your Watcher is about 50 feet that direction and I'd rather he didn't know who I was really. I've made a career out of avoiding them, and I'm not going to blow my cover now."

"You're marrying Methos?" Amanda hissed. "When did this happen?"

"5,000 years ago." Sekhmet told her. "He and I were supposed to get married before we died the first time. We grew up together in the Royal Court. He was Pharaoh's General and I was Pharaoh's Assassin. Then, when we died, we both thought the other was mortal. We didn't meet again until about a century ago."

"Wait, a century ago, you went to Holy Ground." Amanda said.

"Yeah." Sekhmet said slowly. "I imagine Rebecca warned you about how…tenuous my hold on sanity is at times? Warned you to be careful around me?"

"She might have said something, yeah." Amanda said slowly.

"Well, there was an…incident when I found Methos again." Sekhmet said. "I went to Holy Ground to recover, with the understanding that we'd meet in Egypt a century later. Well, the time was coming up, so I decided to swing by Duncan's on the way and found Methos on his couch. So now we're getting married and I came looking for you so I could ask you if you'd be my maid of honor."

"Of course!" Amanda said, hugging her excitedly. "Oh my god, we have so much to do! Dresses, food, music, place. Have you guys settled on a date yet?"

"This literally started about two weeks ago." Sekhmet told her. "We haven't decided on anything yet."

"Well, we're in France, so we should look at dresses." Amanda told her. "I've got a thing in about a week, but I'll go back with you for a day or two to get the ball rolling."

She hugged Sekhmet again, grinning.

"This is going to be so much fun!" she said, clapping her hands and jumping to her feet.

Sekhmet laughed and let Amanda pull her to her feet. Amanda gathered up her things and linked her arm with Sekhmet's, leading her off.

A/N: So this will be a story of my own. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: If I owned Highlander, the world would be a better place, where the sun always shines and puppies and kittens live in harmony.

Ch. 2:

Duncan led Methos to a high end jewelry store. When they walked in, Methos stopped.

"What's wrong?" Duncan asked.

"This is stupid." Methos said. "In a few weeks, she's going to come to her senses and she's going to call the whole thing off, and then I'll have to bring the damn thing back. No, let's not do this."

He started to turn around and walk out, but Duncan stopped him.

"Are we talking about the same Sekhmet?" he asked. "Because the one I know is totally in love you, god knows why."

"That's what I'm talking about." Methos said.

"That's not what I-" Duncan tried, but Methos just kept going.

"Plus, this is just stupid." Methos said. "She's been alive for 5,000 years. How could I possibly find a ring that she would like?"

"Okay, stop." Duncan told him.

Methos sighed, but didn't keep talking.

"First, she'll love whatever ring you get her, because it's from you." Duncan told him. "And second, she has worn that necklace for 5,000 years. To that me, that says she's in for the long haul. I really don't think she's going to wake up some morning and just decide that she doesn't love you anymore. And for your sake, I really hope she doesn't. I think she's the only one who can consistently put up with you. Now, can we please do this?"

Methos took a deep breath and nodded, letting Duncan lead him inside. They walked up to the counter and the woman behind it smiled. Her name tag gave the name Stephanie.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." She said brightly. "How can we help you today?"

"My friend here wants to buy an engagement ring." Duncan said, clapping Methos on the back.

"Well, I think we can help you with that, sir." She told him. "First off, what sort of price range are we looking at?"

"Money isn't an issue." Methos told her awkwardly. "I'll pay whatever it costs to get the perfect ring."

Duncan could swear that the woman's face lit up at that answer.

"Well, then what kind of metal do you think she would like best?" Stephanie asked brightly

"She doesn't wear yellow gold." Methos answered. "She usually wears silver or white gold."

"Well, then we'll look at the white gold and platinum settings." She said. "Now, what kind of stone were you thinking?"

"Sapphires." Methos answered immediately.

"You seem very sure of that." She said. "Any particular reason why?"

"Her brother gave her emeralds." He answered. "But she always loved the river and she used to say sapphires reminded her of it."

"Well, then sapphires it is." Stephanie said.

She pulled out a selection of rings and placed them on the counter.

"Take your time." She told him. "While you're looking, if you don't mind me asking, how did you meet your lucky woman?"

"We grew up together." Methos said, looking at each ring closely. "We've been best friends as far back as I can remember."

"It's always so heartwarming to hear stories like that." The woman sighed. "Childhood sweethearts who actually make it in the big bad world. You two are so lucky."

"Yes we are." Methos said quietly. "This one."

He pointed to a ring nestled in the back corner.

"A good choice." Stephanie agreed. "Do you know her size? That way it'll be ready to give to her."

"I have one of her rings." Methos replied, pulling the item out of his pocket. "Will that work?"

"That'll work just fine." She assured him.

"Can I have it engraved?" he asked her.

"Of course." She replied.

She handed him a piece of paper and he spent the next few seconds writing something before handing it back to her.

"Well, then." She said. "I'll just go figure up your total and be right back."

"Do you think she'll like it?" Methos as Duncan as she disappeared into the back room.

"I think she'd like anything you gave her." The Highlander replied. "But yes, I think she'll love it."

"Good." Methos said, sighing.

"You really need to relax." Duncan told him. "You love her, she loves you. You're going to get married and you're going to be together for eternity. You should be happy."

"I am." Methos replied. "I just can't shake this feeling that I'm going to lose her again. I'm not sure I can handle that again."

"So don't lose her." Duncan said. "Do whatever it takes to keep her. And if you want my opinion, this right here is a good way to start."

"Okay." Stephanie said, rejoining them. "Here's the total."

She handed over a piece of paper and Duncan felt his heart stop at the number printed there, but Methos didn't bat an eyelash. He simply handed over his credit card and waited for her to come back with the receipt.

"The ring will be ready in four days." Stephanie told him. "And may I be the first to say, congratulations."

"Thank you." Methos replied, still seeming slightly ill at ease.

Duncan sighed and pulled him back out the door.

"Everything's going to be fine." He told the older Immortal as they walked down the street. "You'll see."

* * *

"Everything's going to be great." Amanda declared. "You'll see. You're going to love her."

She and Sekhmet walked down the streets of Paris towards a small boutique.

"Aurore is one of us." Amanda told her friend. "She's made all kinds of things for me over the years. She's a genius. It's a shame she can't have her own line, but she doesn't want to bring attention to herself. I promise, she'll make you the perfect wedding dress."

"Just remember, it's Eve." Sekhmet warned. "Neither Methos, nor I, want news of who's really getting married to get out."

"Mum's the word." Amanda promised.

As they approached the store, they felt the presence of another Immortal, but Amanda pushed them forward. They were greeted by a petite young woman, who smiled at Amanda.

"Bonjour, M. Amanda." She said.

"Bonjour, Emily." Amanda replied, smiling. "Is Aurore here?"

"Amanda?" a voice called.

An older woman walked out from the back. She was tall with red hair and a sophisticated air about her.

"I thought I heard your voice." Aurore said, walking over to Amanda.

She took her hands and kissed Amanda on both cheeks.

"It's been too long, my dear." Amanda told her.

"Yes it has." Aurore agreed. "And who is your friend?"

"Aurore, this is Eve." Amanda said. "She's looking for a wedding dress. Something to fit her and her fiancée's…unique lifestyle."

"Ahh." Aurore said, nodding. "Emily, why don't you close up and take the rest of the day off."

"Yes, Madame." Emily said, smiling.

"Come." Aurore said, leading the two women into the back room.

A few minutes later, Emily was done and left the three women alone.

"So, an Immortal wedding." Aurore said, sitting down. "It's not often you see one of those."

"Well, Adam and I have been working towards this for a very long time." Sekhmet told her.

"Then let's not waste any more time." Aurore told her, smiling. "Do you have a theme or design in mind?"

"As I told Amanda before she practically dragged me to Paris, this is still in the early stages." Sekhmet said, glaring at her friend. "Adam and I haven't even discussed when we want to have the wedding, much less anything else."

"Well, that's alright." Aurore said. "We can start on some ideas, and you can narrow it down when you make more decisions. Now, do you want a more modern wedding or a more traditional wedding?"

"I think we should make clear that what I think is traditional went out of style several hundred years ago." Sekhmet said, smiling. "Modern for me is taking place inside a church."

Aurore laughed and nodded.

"Why don't you give me some background as to where and when you're from." She said. "Maybe we can tailor your dress around where you come from."

"Both Adam and I came from Egypt." Sekhmet told her.

"How long ago?" Aurore asked.

Sekhmet hesitated, looking at Amanda.

"You can trust her." Amanda told her. "I do, and you know how few people I trust."

Sekhmet sighed.

"We were born slightly after the unification of the Upper and Lower kingdoms." She said, finally.

Aurore froze.

"That would make you-" she trailed off.

"Around 5,000 years old." Sekhmet confirmed. "Give or take a century. I can't really remember."

"Than your fiancée is…" Aurore said softly.

"Please, just keep calling us Adam and Eve for now." Sekhmet told her. "We're trying to keep this as low key as possible."

"But there isn't a female Immortal that old." Aurore protested.

"You're correct." Sekhmet told her. "Mainly because I faked my own death around three thousand years ago."

"Excuse me while I try to process what I've just been told." Aurore told her.

"Take your time." Sekhmet replied.

Aurore looked at her and laughed.

"You don't seem 5,000 years old." She told her.

"You know, that seems to be the general conscientious ." Sekhmet said, smiling.

"Okay." Aurore said, regrouping. "Well, I think what you mainly need to think about, is what style wedding you're going to have. I have some designs you can look at, maybe get an idea."

Sekhmet nodded and Aurore went to get a book.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Amanda asked.

"You do realize that the only way you get to be 5,000 years old is to be discreet, don't you?" Sekhmet sneered at her.

"Okay that was scary." Amanda said. "You looked just like Methos there."

"Will you please call him Adam?" Sekhmet sighed.

"Fine, you looked like _Adam_." Amanda replied. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic." Sekhmet replied dryly.

"Here we go." Aurore called, carrying a large book in. "These are all my wedding designs. Of course, if you can't find what you want, we can always work on a new design."

Sekhmet looked at the book with trepidation.

"Come on." Amanda said, nudging her as she opened the book. "You only do this once."

"Or 68 times if you're Adam." Sekhmet replied.

"Yeah, but never to another Immortal." Amanda pointed out. "Duncan told me once that Adam said he could never make that commitment. But here he is, making that commitment to you."

"Yeah, but what happens when he decides he really doesn't want to make that commitment?" Sekhmet asked softly. "He asked me to marry him 5,000 years ago, when we were both still mortal. What if he's just honoring his word?"

"Have you met him?" Amanda asked. "Honoring his word is something Duncan does, not Adam. He could give a damn about honor. If he wants to marry you now, it's because he wants to marry you."

She reached over and hugged Sekhmet around the shoulders.

"I haven't seen you two together yet, but I know both of you." She told her friend. "And neither of you would do this unless you were really in love. Now, look at the damn dresses."

Sekhmet laughed and nodded, doing just that.

A/N: Let me know what you think, or if your even out there.

Abbey


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Please, people, like they would let me have Highlander. Have you read these stories?

Ch. 3:

After spending the day looking at dresses, Sekhmet and Amanda went back to Duncan's barge, inviting Aurore to come with them. They ordered a pizza and then Sekhmet told them to be quiet as she made a long distance call.

"Hello?" Methos said, picking up the phone back in Seacouver.

"Hey, it's me." Sekhmet said, smiling.

"Hey." Methos replied warmly. "Did you find Amanda?"

"Yep, South of France, right where I thought she'd be." Sekhmet said. "She's getting sloppy."

Amanda made a noise and threw a pillow at Sekhmet.

"I take it from the sound of indignation in the background, she said yes." Methos said, laughing.

"After some arm twisting, the eventual answer was yes." Sekhmet told him. "You should understand that the arm twisting was all her doing. She shanghaied me into looking at wedding dresses in Paris."

"I'm so sorry." He said, chuckling. "I'm sure it was traumatic."

"It was." She said pouting. "You should come rescue me from her."

"I'm sure you're perfectly safe with Amanda." He told her.

Sekhmet glanced at Amanda.

"You wouldn't say that if you could see the evil grin she's giving me at the moment." She replied.

"Tell her that if she doesn't behave, Duncan'll give away one of her stashes to the authorities." Methos said.

Sekhmet relayed the message and Amanda made a sound of outrage, but didn't make another sound.

"I think that worked." Sekhmet said.

"Good." Methos replied, laughing. "So did you find a dress you like?"

"Not yet." Sekhmet admitted. "It's kind of hard to pick a dress when you don't even know what shape the wedding's going to take."

"It's whatever you want it to be." Methos told her. "Anything you want, you can have it. Don't worry about anything, just pick what you want."

"I don't want to just pick what I want." Sekhmet told him. "I want you to have a say in it too." She sighed. "I'll be home in a few days, so we'll talk about it then, okay?"

"That's sounds really good." He said. "Home."

"It sounds really good to me, too." She admitted, smiling.

"I love you." He said, switching to Egyptian.

"I love you, too." She replied in the same language.

"See you in a few days." He told her.

"See you." She said before hanging up.

"So how's Me-Ad-" Amanda growled. "Look, can I please just call you by your real names? I've got two or three names for each of you and it's making my brain hurt."

"Do whatever you want." Sekhmet said, waving a hand and sitting down on the couch.

"Thank you." Amanda breathed. "So, how's Methos?"

Aurore shook her head.

"What's up?" Sekhmet asked.

"It's one thing to know that the woman in front of you is marrying the oldest Immortal alive." She said. "It's another to actually hear his name in casual conversation."

"Wait until you meet him." Amanda told her. "I've met three year olds that looked wiser than him."

"To answer your question, Amanda," Sekhmet said, glaring mockingly at her, "he's fine."

"How did you two meet?" Aurore asked.

"Um, I don't really remember." Sekhmet said, her face scrunching up as she thought. "It was 5,000 years ago. I just kind of remember him always being there."

"Well, what's your first memory of him?" Amanda asked.

There was a knock at the door and Sekhmet got to her feet. She opened it to find their pizza waiting. She paid the boy and brought it back to the women.

"So are you going to answer the question?" Amanda asked, taking a bite of her slice.

"I'm thinking." Sekhmet replied, also taking a bite. "There's so much I don't remember from back then."

"Well, what do you remember?" Aurore asked.

"I remember that I was the oldest sister of the Pharaoh." Sekhmet answered. "The Egyptians knew that Methos and I were special. They called us the Children of the Gods. I know I was trained in the Temple of Bast to fight and kill, and that Methos was taken by the Temple of Horus. He was Pharaoh's friend when we were growing up and he was destined to be General of Egypt's armies. Since I was Pharaoh's oldest sister, I was supposed to become his queen. My first clear memory is of being sent to a neighboring kingdom to kill a prince."

"How old were you?" Amanda asked.

"I couldn't have been more than twelve." Sekhmet said, her voice far away. "I was sent under the guise of a marriage between our kingdoms. Methos went with me as my protection. He was supposed to get me in, and when it was done, get me back out."

"What happened?" her friend asked.

"I killed the prince while he slept." Sekhmet said, shrugging. "Then I played the part of the shocked princess for the next three days. But what I really remember is that, after I did it, I threw up for hours, and Methos stayed with me. He told me it was going to be alright, that it was over. From then on, whenever I had to kill, he stayed with me. And when he went on campaigns, I went with him. We became Pharaoh's most deadly weapons."

"And he didn't have a problem with watching you kill people?" Aurore asked.

"It was a different world." Sekhmet explained. "Your Pharaoh was your god. You didn't disobey. Plus, he was my brother, and I did what I had to do to protect him. Methos did the same because he was his friend."

"Methos gave you that necklace, didn't he?" Amanda asked, nodding to the ankh. "You've worn it for as long as I've known you. You touch it every time you talk about him."

"It was his version of an engagement ring." Sekhmet said, wrapping her hand around the pendent. "We knew that I was supposed to marry the Pharaoh, but it didn't stop us from falling in love. The night Pharaoh was going to announce his choice of wife, Methos gave it to me."

"What happened?" Amanda asked.

Sekhmet grasped the necklace tightly and looked out the window.

* * *

Back home, Methos, Duncan, and Joe were sitting in Joe's bar.

"So what do you think?" Methos asked Joe.

"The bar can stay open?" Joe asked.

"Of course." Methos replied.

"Then why would I care if you ask her to marry you here?" the old Watcher asked. "I'll make sure we have champagne."

"Thanks, Joe." Methos said, sighing.

"You know, for a guy who knows she's going to say yes, you sure are nervous." Joe told him.

"You should have watched him try to buy the ring." Duncan said, laughing.

"Haven't you done this before?" Joe asked. "To the same girl?"

"It was different back then." Methos said. "When I asked her before, I didn't think we'd ever have a chance to be together. Of course, that changed soon after."

"What do you mean?" Duncan asked.

"I mean, I was just Pharaoh's General." Methos said, taking a swig of his beer. "She was his assassin and his sister. She was supposed to marry him. Wife and bodyguard all wrapped up in one."

"So what happened?" Joe asked.

* * *

_Methos strode through the palace quickly. He needed to find Sekhmet before Pharaoh realized she was gone. He took turn after turn, quickly moving towards where he knew she'd be. Finally, he emerged into a room overlooking the Nile. There she was, dressed in her best dress, her hair done in the traditional style with the cobra crown on her head. He knew that her eyes would be rimed with black and her face highlighted by gold dust. She was every inch the princess._

_Even though he knew they need to go, he took a moment to look at her. He had seen her in the heat of battle, taking down Pharaoh's enemies by the dozens, fighting as ferociously as a lioness. He had seen her standing victorious as the men cheered for the Lioness of Ra. He had seen her at court, seducing her latest conquest. He had seen her emerge from her latest victim's room, her hands covered in blood and shaking. And after all that, she was still the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Because none of that was her. This was her. The woman standing at the window, her arms wrapped around her waist as she watched the Nile flow by._

"_I don't want to go, Methos." She whispered._

_He didn't question how she knew he was there, he simply walked up to her and took off his cloak, draping it over her shoulders._

"_If I go, and he announces my name, it's over." She said, still not looking at him. "I'll be Queen of the Nile and you'll be my General, and nothing will ever be the same again. I'll lose you."_

_He took her by the arm and spun her around to make her look at him._

"_You will never lose me." He told her softly, gently touching her face. "I will still be yours, body, heart, and soul. Nothing will ever change that. I will always be your guardian and you will always be my lioness."_

"_The men say I'm Ra's." she said softly. "And that Pharaoh is Ra."_

"_Ra will need to get behind me." He told her, smiling softly. "You are mine."_

"_Oh really?" she asked, amusement slipping into her voice._

"_Is there a problem with that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow._

"_No, I'm just wondering how far I should away I should stand to avoid the lightening when the god smites you." She said, laughing._

_He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, and she settled her head against his shoulder with a sigh._

"_What will we do if he announces that I'm to be his queen?" she asked softly._

"_We'll do our duty." He told her. "But nothing will ever change my love for you."_

_He pulled away and turned her around._

"_Close your eyes." He told her._

_She did as he asked and he pulled something out and draped it across her neck. She opened her eyes to find a black ankh hanging on a silver chord._

"_It's beautiful." She said. "But why is it black?"_

"_Because, no matter what, I'll be here, in the night, waiting for you." He said softly. "Even when you have to live your life in the sun with him. That here, in the dark, you're my wife. My love."_

_He saw her eyes fill with tears and gently wiped them away, careful not to smudge her face paint._

"_I will always love you." He told her softly._

"_And I will always love you." She replied._

_She reached up to gently kiss him before pulling away._

"_We need to go." She said softly._

_He nodded and stepped away as both of their masks fell into place._

"_After you, your highness." He told her, bowing._

_She inclined her head before sweeping out of the room. He waited a second before following her._

A/N: The flash back will continue in the next chapter. I hope you guys like it.

Abbey


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Highlander, so just leave me alone.

Ch. 4:

"So, wait." Aurore said. "You were supposed to marry the king of Egypt. Who was your brother."

"Back then, the Pharaoh married his sister to keep the blood lines pure." Sekhmet told her. "I was Pharaoh's oldest sister, so I was supposed to be his wife."

"Okay." Aurore said. "So what happened?"

* * *

_Sekhmet walked up to the doors of the main banquet hall. She stood there for a moment before shrugging off Methos' cloak and handing it back to him. She took a deep breath and pushed the doors open before striding in, her head held high. As she walked in, she felt the eyes of the court on her, especially those of her sister, Hetshepsit. She glanced over and saw her sister sending daggers at her._

'_If she knew that I'd give her my place in a heartbeat, I wonder if it would sweeten her.' Sekhmet thought to herself before shaking her head. 'I doubt it. Granted, she has no idea what my place is really.'_

_Sekhmet looked around and fought to keep her mask in place. No one but Methos and the Pharaoh knew who and what she really was, and sometimes it was all she could do to not scream. They all looked at her as if she was just a spoiled princess, not knowing she had saved this kingdom more times than they could count._

"_Dearest sister." The Pharaoh called._

_She made sure her smile was in place before joining her brother. When she made it to his side, she got a pleasant surprise._

"_Mistress." She said happily, greeting the High Priestess of Bast who had trained her. "I didn't know you'd be here." _

"_It wouldn't have stopped you from hiding for as long as you could." The High Priestess told her, smiling._

"_Yes, it's a good thing Methos always goes to find you." The Pharaoh told her. "Otherwise you would've missed the announcement."_

"_I was feeling unwell." Sekhmet told him. "I'm sorry for worrying you."_

"_I know you can take care of yourself." Her brother told her. "But this announcement will be important to you."_

"_I'm Pharaoh's to command." Sekhmet replied, feeling faint._

_She felt Methos move to stand behind her and she breathed a sigh of relief. She straightened and watched as her brother moved to the front of the crowd._

"_Tonight, we have brought you all here to bear witness to an auspicious moment." The Pharaoh announced. "The choosing of our first wife."_

_Sekhmet felt the sick feeling she had been fighting all night come roaring back to her stomach. She felt herself waver and she would've fallen if Methos hadn't grabbed her elbow._

"_You've fought more battles than most of my soldiers." He whispered quickly. "You can do this."_

_She nodded, swallowing._

"_Tonight will be remember as the night we raised our beloved sister above all other women." The Pharaoh continued. "Tonight a princess becomes a queen. In a month, we will marry our sister…"_

_Sekhmet closed her eyes, praying to any god for strength._

"…_Hetshepsit." Pharaoh finished._

_Sekhmet's eyes snapped open and she looked at her sister. Hetshepsit was glaring at her with fierce triumph as she made her way to their brother._

"_He didn't choose me." Sekhmet whispered, relief evident in her voice._

"_Stay as you were." Methos whispered back._

_She nodded and looked on as her brother took their sister's hand and put a ring on it._

"_Tonight we also have another announcement." The Pharaoh said as Hetshepsit took her place right behind him. "As a reward for his service to his god, we have decided to reward our dear friend and general, Methos."_

_Sekhmet felt Methos freeze behind her._

"_In honor of the love between us, we give our dear friend our sister Sekhmet to be his wife." The Pharaoh announced. "So that we might be family."_

_Sekhmet felt her jaw drop open as her brother made his way to them, a sour looking Hetshepsit trailing behind him._

"_Did you not think I would see the love between my two best friends?" her brother asked, dropping the royal we. "You have done so much for me, Sekhmet. You and Methos. The least I can do is give you your happiness."_

"_Thank you, brother." Sekhmet said, her voice thick with emotion. _

_She took his hand and kissed it before he moved to Methos._

"_She is my sister and you will be my brother." The Pharaoh told Methos. "We will always be bound by the ties of family."_

"_No binding could be more holding than the binds of love I already hold for my Pharaoh." Methos told him, bowing._

"_Take good care of her, Methos." Pharaoh told him. "You are both very dear to me."_

_He clapped Methos on the shoulder before moving off._

"_Well, you have your wish, little lioness." The High Priestess said, smiling at Sekhmet. "I hope you will remember to thank the gods."_

"_I will thank them in my nightly prayers for the rest of time." Sekhmet said, smiling at Methos._

_For the first time in years, she wasn't forced to hide behind a mask. As her brother called them to his side, she smiled a real smile as Methos stood at her side as her equal. Not even Hetshepsit's hateful looks could detract from her happiness._

_As they made their way through the crowd, Sekhmet felt a shiver run up her spine. She looked around and caught Methos' eye. He had felt it too._

_Something was wrong._

_Suddenly, a servant rushed the Pharaoh with a dagger._

"_Death to the false god!" he yelled._

_Sekhmet quickly pushed her brother out of the way as Methos grabbed the boy's arm, twisting it to make him drop the dagger. When the dagger was on the ground, Sekhmet punched the boy across the face, knocking him unconscious. All around them, guests ran out of the room as soldiers entered._

"_Go." She told her brother. "Methos and I will take care of this."_

"_Don't reveal yourself unless you have to." Her brother ordered softly._

_He took Hetshepsit's arm and dragged her out._

"_You go too." Methos said. "Play the part of the princess. I'll send for you when we have him secure."_

_She nodded and followed her brother out._

…

_Pharaoh brought all of his advisers together in his war room. The men were all arguing about who was behind the attack, when the doors swung open to reveal Sekhmet._

"_Princess, this is no place for a wo-" one of Pharaoh's ministers said, trailing off when he saw her state._

_She was still dressed as she had been at the party, except her crown was gone and her dress was covered in blood. The men fell silent as she made her way to Methos and the Pharaoh. Neither man said anything, their only acknowledgement of her state was for Methos to cover her with his clock and for the Pharaoh to order a servant to bring water for her to clean her hands._

"_What did you learn?" he asked as she cleaned up._

"_Someone wanted us to think it was the Lower Kingdom rising up." Sekhmet said. "The 'death to the false god' thing was to throw us off the track."_

"_So you found out who was behind it from the boy?" Methos asked._

"_He was paid to do it by an unknown man." Sekhmet said, shaking her head. "He didn't have any useful information beyond that he wasn't a Lower Kingdom conspirator."_

"_But you have an idea as to who it might be." Pharaoh said._

"_Now, I really must protest, your majesty." One of the ministers broke in. "We've let this play go on, but, realistically, what could a princess know of the affairs of men?"_

"_This princess is trained in the orders of Bast." Sekhmet told him angrily. "This princess has defended her Pharaoh's throne both on the battlefield and in the shadows."_

"_You will show Ra's Lioness the proper respect." Pharaoh ordered._

_Sekhmet saw Methos duck his head, smiling, as the other men murmured, recognizing the name of the hero of the soldiers._

"_What do you know, sister?" Pharaoh asked._

"_I remembered that Methos got a report recently." She said. "A spy said that the Tjemehu were moving their troops along our border."_

"_Methos?" The Pharaoh asked._

"_She's right." Methos told him, pointing to the map. "My latest reports say that they're adding troops here, here, and here. I thought it was just their normal build up, but with this attack…"_

"_I think they're planning an invasion." Sekhmet told her brother. "I think they wanted to kill you and make us think it was the Lower Kingdom rising up so we'd be distracted when they attacked."_

_The Pharaoh studied the map silently for a while as Sekhmet continued to clean up. She ordered a servant to bring her a tunic and by the time Pharaoh made up his mind, she was practically presentable again._

"_If the Tjemehu want a war, we'll give them one." Pharaoh announced. "Methos, ready our troops."_

_Methos nodded and strode out of the room, grasping Sekhmet's hand tightly as he went._

"_Brother." She said softly._

"_I suppose you want to ride with him?" he asked, sighing._

_She stayed silent and he nodded._

"_The men do seem to fight better when the Lioness is on the field with them." He said thoughtfully. "Go. And when you come back, we will celebrate your wedding."_

_Sekhmet bowed to her brother before following Methos out._

* * *

"Methos and I rode to war three weeks later." Sekhmet said sadly. "A month into the campaign, we pushed too hard and the Tjemehu won the battle. Methos and I were both killed. He woke up before me and found my body. He couldn't handle it and he ran. I woke up a little time after and couldn't find him. Fast forward 5,000 years and we find each other in Spanish controlled California, but another Immortal came after me and after I took his head, I fled to Holy Ground for a century. And now we're here."

The other two women were quiet, thinking about what they had just heard.

"Well, it's late." Aurore said, standing up. "Come by the shop tomorrow. I have an idea for a dress."

She nodded to the other two and left.

"Come on." Amanda said. "Let's clean up and go to bed."

* * *

Joe, Duncan, and Methos sat in the bar, sipping their drinks.

"That's one hell of a story." Joe said finally.

"Yep." Methos replied.

He drained the last of his drink.

"I'll see you." He said before grabbing his coat and leaving.

"You know, last time he proposed to her, they died." Joe said. "We should probably make this one hell of a party."

"Yeah." Duncan replied.

A/N: Let me know what you guys think. And F.Y.I. The Tjemehu are the modern day Libyans.

Abbey


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I'd give my soul for Methos.

Ch. 5:

Sekhmet and Amanda arrived at Aurore's shop early the next morning. She had called early to tell them they should stop by before they left. As they approached the door, it swung open.

"Have you slept?" Sekhmet said as they stepped inside.

Aurore, who had looked very put together yesterday, looked slightly unkempt and sleep deprived.

"I spent the night working on the design for your dress." She said, leading them into the back room.

"You didn't need to do that, Aurore." Sekhmet told her.

"Please." Aurore said, waving a hand. "It's the first time I've really been inspired in years."

She went to her desk and pulled out several sheets of paper and handed it to Amanda.

"This is beautiful." Sekhmet said, flipping through the pages. "It's perfect. How did you come up with this?"

The drawings were of a simple white dress with Egyptian influences. It was sleeveless, with an empire waist that she had marked with a note saying it would be jeweled. The back was crossed ribbons that would also have jewels on them. The skirt flowed out from the waist and to the ground.

"I listened to your story last night and it just came to me." Aurore said. "When I got home, I just started drawing, and this is what I came up with."

"I love it, Aurore." Sekhmet said, setting the drawings down and hugging the designer. "Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome." Aurore told her. "And thank you for giving me inspiration again."

"We better go if we're going to make it to the airport." Amanda pointed out.

"You're leaving so soon?" Aurore asked.

"Our plane leaves at noon." Sekhmet said. "I need to get back to Methos. It makes me nervous to be away from him for long."

"Well, I'll call when it's ready for a fitting." Aurore promised.

"Thanks." Sekhmet said.

She hugged Aurore one last time before she and Amanda left.

* * *

Methos was sitting on his bed reading when he felt another Immortal approached the apartment. He reached over and grabbed his sword when he heard the key turn and it opened to reveal Sekhmet. He felt his heart stop when he saw her. She was simply dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, but at that moment, he thought she was the most beautiful think he'd ever seen. A second later, he was on his feet and she was in his arms.

"Hi." She breathed, burying her head in his shoulder.

"Hi." He replied, leaning down to kiss her neck.

She pulled back and captured his lips with hers, pushing him back towards the bed. When they reached it, she pushed him down before straddling him.

"I really missed you." She whispered, leaning down to kiss him softly.

"I can tell." He replied, laughing. "I missed you, too."

"Is that so?" Sekhmet asked, smirking. "Why don't you show me just how much?"

With that, he flipped her over so he was on top and kissed her deeply before doing just that.

* * *

Sekhmet lay on her stomach, her head turned to look at Methos, who was laying on his side, gently playing with her hair.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked her.

"Amanda and I were thinking about going shopping." She said. "Why?"

"Well, I thought we could go out to dinner tomorrow and then we could meet MacLeod and Amanda for drinks at Joe's." he replied.

"You mean like a date?" Sekhmet asked, smirking.

"Exactly like a date." He said, smiling as he kissed her.

"Sounds like fun." She said. "Maybe Amanda and I could change our shopping trip into a spa trip. Where are we going to eat?"

"I got reservations at La Bella Musica." Methos said, naming one of the nicest restaurants in town.

"Fancy." Sekhmet said. "Any particular occasion?"

"Yeah." He said, softly kissing her shoulder. "You coming home."

"Well." She said, rolling over. "I guess I'll just have to come home more often."

She sat up and got up, taking the sheet with her.

"Um, where are you going and who said you get the sheet?" Methos demanded, pulling the sheet back towards him.

"I'm going to call Amanda and let her know about the change of plans." She said, pulling the sheet back from him. "And I get the sheet because then I have the better view."

"Minx." He told her.

"That's Lioness." She said, leaning down and kissing him. "Get your animals straight."

He made to grab her and she laughed as she ducked away. She went to the phone, careful to put an extra swing in her step, and quickly dialed.

"Hey, it's me." She said when Amanda picked up. "Slight change of plan."

* * *

Methos and Sekhmet both sat up quickly as they felt another Immortal approach, and a second later there was a loud banging on the door.

"Up!" came Amanda's voice. "Get up!"

"If we're very quiet, maybe she'll lose interest and go away." Methos suggested.

"She's not a door to door salesman." Sekhmet replied, giggling. "She's an Immortal, remember? She knows we're here."

"Damn." He said, flopping back on the bed.

"I know you're in there!" Amanda called. "I have a whole day planed here, and you're not going to screw it up by sleeping."

Methos whipped a pillow at the door as Sekhmet sat up, laughing.

"I heard that!" Amanda called. "I don't know what you threw, but it wasn't nice!"

"It was Methos!" Sekhmet called back as she grabbed Methos' shirt from the night before, throwing it on as she stood up.

"Traitor." Methos growled at her.

Sekhmet grinned at him as she hunted for her pants. She finally found them and pulled them on before opening the door. Amanda breezed right in, not waiting for an invitation.

"No, make yourself at home." Sekhmet said sarcastically as she shut the door.

"Wow." Amanda said, looking at Methos, who was still lying on the bed with only the sheet to cover him. "I can see why you're still in bed."

"Okay, that's enough of that." Sekhmet said, trying to cover Amanda's eyes as the other Immortal ducked around her to keep a clear view of Methos. "Methos, go get dressed."

Methos wrapped the sheet around himself and stood up, walking to the bathroom and shutting the door.

"Spoilsport." Amanda pouted.

"You get Duncan." Sekhmet pointed out as she moved to the kitchen. "Methos is mine. Coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks." Amanda said.

Sekhmet moved around the kitchen, getting three cups ready. As she was working, Methos walked out, wearing a pair of jeans, but no shirt.

"I thought I told you to get dressed." Sekhmet said, smiling as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck.

"I'm still trying to convince you to give up the spa day and come back to bed." He said.

"Un uh." Amanda told him. "She's coming with me and you're supposed to call Duncan. He needs your help with something."

"What something?" Sekhmet asked, handing Amanda her cup.

"I don't know, I didn't ask." Amanda said, shrugging. "Hurry up and get dressed, our appointment is at 10."

Sekhmet sighed before kissing Methos and moving to do as Amanda ordered.

* * *

Duncan sat in his loft reading a book, when he felt an Immortal approach. The elevator opened and Methos stepped out.

"You're girlfriend stole mine this morning." He complained, throwing himself into a chair.

"Yeah, so you could go pick up Sekhmet's ring." Duncan shot back. "Did you get it?"

"Yeah." Methos replied, showing him the box.

"And you're ready for tonight?" Duncan asked.

"I made reservations at La Bella Musica for 8 tonight." Methos told him. "Is everything ready at Joe's?"

"We'll meet you there at 10." Duncan assured him. "You need to relax or she's going to realize something's going on."

Methos sighed and nodded.

"I've been kicked out of my apartment for the day." He told Duncan. "So I'm crashing here."

"Why?" Duncan asked.

"Because it was your girlfriend who stole my girlfriend and kicked me out of my home." Methos replied.

"Fair enough." Duncan said.

"And I'm drinking your beer." Methos said, getting up and stalking to the refrigerator.

"What else is new?" Duncan muttered.

* * *

Methos sat in the restaurant, getting more nervous as the time ticked by. He glanced down at his watch and saw that it was 8:10. Finally, he felt an Immortal approach and looked up to see Sekhmet hurrying towards him.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." She said as she arrived at the table. "Amanda is a dictator. I'm thinking of staging an uprising."

He stood up and helped her take off her coat, and then froze.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You look so beautiful." He told her.

She was dressed in a black dress, with a low neckline that accented her ankh pendent and went down to her knees. The back was covered in lace down to her waist. Her hair was pulled up in a loose bun and her eyes were smokey.

She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you." She said softly. "You look very nice, too."

He was dressed out of character for him in a nice fitting suit without a tie. He shook himself and pulled out her chair for her to sit down. As he sat down, she reached over and took his hand, squeezing it. A few seconds later, a waiter came by, bringing their drinks and taking their order.

"So, what is that all about?" Sekhmet asked.

"Can't I just take the woman I love out to dinner?" Methos shot back.

"Methos." Sekhmet said with a long suffering sigh.

"Okay." He said, laughing. "I just wanted us to have a normal, human experience. I think, after everything, we deserve a normal night."

She smiled and nodded.

"Then let's have a normal night." She agreed.

* * *

Methos and Sekhmet walked into Joe's to find it a quiet night. Really the only people in the bar were Duncan, Amanda, Joe, and one other man.

"Richie!" Sekhmet said happily, hugging the young man. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just passing through and Mac invited me to join you tonight." Richie replied. "You look beautiful, Sekhmet."

"Thank you." Sekhmet said, smiling.

They all sat down at a table as the waitress served them.

"So how was dinner?" Amanda asked.

"It was perfect." Sekhmet replied, smiling at Methos.

"See?" Amanda said, swatting Duncan. "Why can't you do things like that?"

The others laughed as Duncan's mouth moved up and down, but Amanda ignored him, turning back to Sekhmet.

"See, I was right about the dress, wasn't I?" she asked smugly.

"Doesn't mean you aren't a dictator." Sekhmet shot back.

Duncan laughed as Amanda pouted, kissing her forehead. The friends spent the next hour, just sitting around talking and laughing. Finally, Methos caught Joe's eye and the old Watcher nodded to the bar tender. A second later, a new song came on and Methos stood up.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked Sekhmet, holding out his hand.

"I would love to." She replied, taking his hand and following him to the middle of the floor.

_They tell you where you need to go, tell you when you need to leave. Tell you what you need to know, tell you who you need to be._

Methos wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close as he took her hand and held it over his heart. He gently began to lead her across the floor.

_But everything inside you knows there's more than what you've heard. There's so much more than empty conversations filled with empty words._

_And you're on fire when he's near you. You're on fire when he speaks. You're on fire burning at these mysteries._

"I love you so much." He told her softly in Egyptian. "For centuries, I thought I had seen everything. Done everything. Nothing was interesting to me at all. And then you came back to me and it was like the world was new again. Everything was bright and beautiful again."

He gently reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek before spinning her and making her laugh.

_Give me one more time around; give me one more chance to see. Give me everything you are, give me one more chance to be near you._

_When everything inside me looks like everything I hate, you are the hope I have for change. You are the only chance I'll take._

_When I'm on fire when you're near me. I'm on fire when you speak. And I'm on fire, burning at these mysteries, mysteries, mysteries._

"Long ago, I asked you to marry me." He told her, pulling her close again. "We never thought we'd actually make it. Everything thing was against us. And then, as if the gods were on our side, everything went right. Which made losing you that much worse. And then the things I did…"

_You're on fire. You're on fire. You're on fire._

_I'm standing on the edge of me, I'm standing on the edge of me, I'm standing on the edge of me, I'm standing on the edge…I'm standing on the edge of everything I've never been before, and I've been standing on the edge of me, standing on the edge._

"There's nothing I've done I ever want to hide from you." He told her. "And I never want to be without you again."

He let her go and got down on one knee.

_And I'm on fire when you're near me. I'm on fire when you speak. Yeah, I'm on fire burning at these mysteries. Yeah, these mysteries._

The song trailed off and Methos pulled the ring box from his pocket and opened it so she could see the ring nestled in the velvet.

It was a platinum ring with a large sapphire in the middle. The band wrapped around the stone in a swirl and on either side of the sapphire was a smaller diamond.

"Sekhmet, will you marry me?" Methos asked softly in English.

"Yes." She whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Methos quickly got to his feet, grabbing her in a hug and spinning her around. Finally, he set her down and took the ring out of the box.

"Look inside." He told her.

She did as he asked and smiled brightly.

"Methos' Lioness." She said, laughing.

"I told you they'd have to get in line." He said smugly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing as she hugged him tightly. Finally, they pulled apart so Methos could slip the ring onto her finger. He gently kissed it before kissing her lips.

"I love you, Sekhmet." He told her.

"And I love you, Methos." She replied.

"I wanna see the ring." They heard Amanda hiss so they turned and let their friends congratulate them.

A/N: Let me know what you think. If you want to see Sekhmet's ring or dress, go to my profile and there will be a link at the bottom.

Also, I know that _On Fire_ by Switchfoot wasn't written when this was supposed to take place, but it's such a good song for them, don't you think?

The ongoing saga of Methos and Sekhmet will continue in The Valkyrie.

Abbey


End file.
